There's a Knock at the Door

Rev 3:20 Listen! I am standing at the door, knocking: if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to you and eat with you and you with me.

Josef, with an f, Michael Trinidad Carr, Sr. A husband, a father, a grandpa, a friend, and so much more. You’ve heard the testimonies. So what more can I say?

Well, as you’ve also heard he was a Bishop and a man who loved the Lord. He didn’t always get it right, none of us do, but he was striving. Like David, he was quick to repent when he knew he stepped over the line.

He loved his family, and his desire more than anything in all our conversations, and there were many, was

that every one of you be saved,

that every one of you know the Lord for yourself,

that every one of you know how to call on the name of Jesus.

So what else can I tell you? I want to let you know today, There’s A Knock at the Door.

In the book of Revelation 3:20 we find these words spoken by Jesus, “Listen! I am standing at the door, knocking; if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to you and eat with you, and you with me.”

Grandma Anna, who raised Joe made sure he knew who God was. He saw her pray, he saw her worship the Lord and he experienced her love through chastisement. Like God, Grandma Anna chastened those whom she loved and she truly loved Joe. As a result, at nine years old, Joe heard a knock (knock, knock, knock). God called him to preach. But he didn’t open the door just yet.

In his lifetime, my cousin Joe experienced a few knocks at the door as will you.

When he served in the Viet Nam war, he was shot in his upper body numerous times, resulting in one of his scapulae being destroyed and a portion of his jaw. The death angel came knocking but God said, “Not yet, I have work for him to do.”

There were other situations he found himself in, when the death angel came knocking at his door, but God said, “Not yet, I have work for him to do.”

What he wanted you to know today, is sometimes there will be others knocking at your door. The enemy comes but to kill, to steal, and to destroy. He wants to kill your dreams, steal your blessings, and destroy your soul.

(Knock, knock, knock) I need to let you know, that in your life there will be times when God is going to knock on your door. He’s going to knock on your door to offer you salvation and everlasting life. You see, he sent his one and only Son to give his life on an old rugged cross so that you and I would have the opportunity for eternal life. Knock, knock, knock Is anyone home?

After you receive salvation, He’s going to knock on your door with a ministry assignment, (Knock, knock, knock). it may be to serve as an apostle, a prophet, an evangelist, a pastor, or a teacher. When God saves you, it’s not just for you to sit. It’s not for you to get all you can, can all you get, then sit on the can. There’s work to do. Will you open the door?

(Knock, knock, knock) There’s a knock at the door. He’s going to knock on your door with a ministry gift or gifts for the edification of the saints.

Who’s waiting for you answer the door so you can start fulfilling the assignment God has for you?

Who’s waiting for you to help them?

Who’s life will be spared because you had the courage to share your testimony?

To be of use to the kingdom of God, the first thing you must do is hear his voice and recognize that it’s Jesus knocking. Jesus said my sheep hear my voice and a stranger they will not follow. Open the eyes to your soul and see Jesus. You have to look with your spiritual eyes.

Second you have to open the door. Open the door of your heart and allow Jesus to come in. He can’t get in the door if you’re an emotional hoarder and you’ve got a bunch of stuff in the way.

Are you a hoarder, hoarding a wrong you feel you’ve suffered?

Are you a hoarder, hoarding jealousy and envy

Are you a hoarder, hoarding what you feel you should’ve gotten but someone else got it instead of you?

Are you a hoarder, hoarding hurt feelings?

Are you a hoarder? What are you still holding on to that you should’ve gotten rid of years ago. And now it’s rotten with black mold, poisoning your very soul and keeping you from reaching your full potential?

And the third thing you have to do is sit down and eat with Jesus.

Don’t be so busy serving like Martha that you fail to choose the better part.

Dine on the meat of the Word, instead of drinking the milk. It’s time to spiritually grow up.

Eat because the instructions of the Lord are perfect, they revive the soul.

Eat because the testimony of the Lord is sure, making the simple wise.

Eat because The commands of the Lord are clear, they give insight for living.

Eat because because the Word of the Lord is sweeter than honey, even honey dripping from the honeycomb.

You see, at 38 years old Jesus knocked on the door of Joe’s heart again, but this time Joe answered. Now he was bold. Now he was a new creature. Now old things had passed away. Now

Joe didn’t mind sharing his testimony

He didn’t mind sharing his love of Christ.

He didn’t mind sharing what he’d been through

He didn’t mind sharing the things he came out of

He didn’t mind sharing the struggles he had

If it would help someone else, he didn’t mind sharing.

You see here’s the thing, we don’t go through what we go through to keep it to ourselves, to keep it a secret, to carry the guilt and shame. We go through what we go through to help others. When you get through your struggle, reach back and help someone else. Joe didn’t mind doing just that. Because, there’s nothing new under the sun and if you’ve already been through it you have the road map.

There’s a story that goes like this

As he walked down a street, a man fell into a hole. The walls of the hole were so steep he couldn’t climb out. So, the man cried for help.

Soon a doctor walked by and heard the man’s cries. The doctor wrote a prescription, tossed it down the hole, and walked away.

Before long, a priest walked by and heard the man. “Father, can you help me?” the man begged. The priest wrote a prayer, threw it in the hole, and walked away.

Finally, a friend came along. “Can you help me?” the man called. The friend made a brave, bold move: he jumped into the hole. The man who had been trapped was aghast. “Why’d you do that? Now we’re both stuck here!” The friend said, “Yes, but I know the way out because I’ve been down here before.”

What hole have you been in and found your way out of, so you can now lead someone else out of?

Family he wanted more than anything for you, to recognize that Jesus is Lord and without Him we can do nothing.

Joe was ready to go home, he had called for his clothes, but he called for the wrong ones. He called for some khakis, but God gave him a white robe instead. (Knock, knock, knock) Joe opened the door to Jesus many years ago and now God opened the door to Joe.

But death is not the end. It is appointed unto man once to die, then comes the judgement. What will judgement day look like for you? Will you be counted with the sheep or will you be one of the goats? Will you stand before the throne and hear the words well done thou good and faithful servant, entire into thy glory or will you hear the words depart from me you worker of iniquity? The choice is yours and it’s one you need to make sooner rather than later, because tomorrow is not promised.

Does God have a white robe waiting for you?

And let me leave you with this

Eph 3:14-19 - 14 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; 17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; 19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

As there will not be an internment we will do the committal now.

Let us pray

Almighty and eternal God, in you we place our trust and hope; in you the dead whose bodies were temples of the Spirit find everlasting peace. As we take leave of our brother, give our hearts peace in the firm hope that one day Joe will live in the mansion you have prepared for him in heaven. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

As we commit his ashes— In sure and certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ, we commend to Almighty God our beloved Josef Michael Trinidad Carr, Sr. We commit his body to the flames: ashes to ashes, dust to dust.